We Are There

Lieve Nachten moved to new land

The islands are contrary to the polder landscape of the western half of the Netherlands not reclaimed from the water, but simply claimed by pouring a lot of sand. Just like The World in Dubai.

The layout of the islands follows the grid pattern of sixteenth century Dutch canal cities. And if such a layout has been proven to be functional, why not copy paste that for a new city extension? So the planners argue.

About 18 different locations were studied and analysed, and the IJmeer (or IJ Lake) was chosen as one of the best options. The IJmeer had been created in the late 1930′s with the construction of a dike that closed off the inlet of the North Sea and changed it into a fresh water lake. No longer the intensely trafficked industrial waterway it had been, the area developed into an important natural environment. It is used for water recreation, fishing and sand dredging and is an important site for water birds and other fauna and flora.

Extensive bicycle paths and a good public transport infrastructure, as well as large park areas, have also been incorporated into the EUR 3.5-4 billion development. Other environmental ideas have been worked into the plan as well.

Where the real dreaming comes in is in the design of each of the seven islands and the huge range of the available accommodations. Each island will also have a slightly different look, environment and function. Steiger Island, the first one visible from the city, will offer high density high rise apartments, family dwellings and jetties and waterways for houseboats and other floating homes. It is also possible for people to buy land and build their own houses. So we did that, we sold our house in the city centre, biked for 4 months in SE Asia as a sabatical with Mirre (14 years old) and build in 18 months the new b&b, a kind of place where we all can live the question: